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Experimenting with photoelectrochemical cells in drinking straws: practical aids for learning about solar energy in school or at home

S J Appleyard

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Photoelectrochemical cells using dye-sensitized ZnO with a Cu2+/Fe2+/Fe3+ electrolyte can be easily made at home or in a school classroom with household chemicals and other readily available materials. The cells, which are made with wire housed within plastic drinking straws, have open-circuit voltages of 0.5–0.7 V and short-circuit currents of about 0.5–2.5 mA cm−2. Step-by-step instructions are provided on how to construct the photoelectrochemical cells, as are suggestions about how to use the cells to explore some concepts associated with utilizing solar energy.


PACS

01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus

84.60.Jt Photoelectric conversion: solar cells and arrays

82.47.Jk Photoelectrochemical cells, photoelectrochromic and other hybrid electrochemical energy storage devices

Subjects

Electronics and devices

Education and communication

Chemical physics and physical chemistry

Dates

Issue 3 (May 2008)

Received 30 July 2007, in final form 2 November 2007



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